The present invention concerns a device for the electrochemical treatment, in particular localized, of a conducting substrate by movement over the said substrate, capable of being used in any position, which comprises a casing provided with an opening and delimiting a space, an electrode being arranged in this space and intended to be connected to one of the terminals of a source of electric current, the conducting substrate being intended to be connected to the other terminal of this source, and an electrolyte inlet and electrolyte outlet, both communicating with the said space.
Such a device enables in particular electrochemically formed metal coatings to be obtained and localized deposits to be achieved or retouching to be carried out on metal surfaces. In the automobile, aeronautical or railway industries, surfaces have frequently to be prepared before assembly or before another surface treatment. In these and many other industries, including the plastics or mechanical industries, metal parts or surfaces suffer wear, scratches, abrasion or corrosive damage which justify such localized metal retouching.
Such electrochemical treatment devices are already known such as, for example, devices of the pad type, as well as devices making use of chambers or cells with electrolyte circulation or gels in order to avoid electrolyte leakage.
These devices always however present risks of leakage during treatment, associated with the quality of the seal provided by joints, or during cleaning following treatment (in the case of gels) and risks associated with uniformity of treatment. Thus electrolyte leakages, in particular during movement of the device over the substrate, present a real danger for adjacent areas which are not to be treated and for the operator, by reason of the often corrosive nature of the electrolytes used.